Malice
by The Passionate Admiral
Summary: Tom, B'Elanna, and Harry encounter an alien race with unknown intentions. As they make first contact without the rest of the crew, they find that their principle of non-interference will be put to the test.
1. On Their Own

Malice

Author: The Passionate Admiral

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I own nothing in the Star Trek Universe, but I do own the Jiopians, the Riscadi, and the Beitruu. (As well as the Fikalo and the Wrilohans.)

Note: This takes place near the beginning of season 7, say between "Inside Man" and "Flesh And Blood."

The USS _Voyager _was in orbit of the planet Jiopia. Captain Kathryn Janeway had instigated shore leave for the crew. After months of exhausting work and the victorious battle for the liberation of Unimatrix Zero, she had given the crew what they deserved and desperately needed.

Most of the members of the crew were enjoying themselves on the planet's surface. The only two people who had not been on the surface at some point within the past week were Tuvok and Seven Of Nine. During the duration of the _Voyager_'s stay, Tuvok had been in command of the bridge longer than Captain Janeway and Commander Chakotay combined.

Most of the crew was on the planet's surface enjoying the festivities. At that moment, Captain Janeway was giving the governor of Jiopia a tour of _Voyager_. They had just arrived in the engine room.

"And this, Governor Tiliod, is the warp core." Captain Janeway was explaining to the tall man. "Our maximum speed is warp 10, which we acquired thanks to the hard work of three of our crewmen. Unfortunately, one of them experienced a most unusual side-effect, so the most speed we allow is warp factor 9.975."

"I see." said Governor Tiliod. "Where are these three crewmen right now?"

The Jiopians looked very much like Humans, except they were slightly taller than the average Human, and they had a type of half-circle protruding out of their foreheads. Two more of these large three-dimensional half-circles were on their chins; one went on each side of their faces.

"None of them are here right now." said Janeway. "I sent them off on a research and observation mission just shortly before we arrived here. However, they should be returning in eight or nine hours. Their names are Harry Kim, Tom Paris, and B'Elanna Torres."

"Ah yes, now, this B'Elanna Torres…" said Tiliod, "she is a Klingon, correct?"

"Half-Klingon, actually." Janeway corrected him. "Her mother is Klingon, but her father is Human. Lieutenant Paris, Ensign Kim, and the majority of the people on this ship including myself are Human as well."

"Fascinating." said the Governor. After he jotted down a few more notes, he said "I have looked through the information you provided me with about your race's backgrounds, Captain. I cannot argue with you when you say that you are a peaceful people. But there are a few events in your history when you have been very violent and uncivil."

"We have learned to suppress our primal barbaric sides." Janeway told him. "Most of us have, at any rate. It is still possible to set any Human's bad side off."

"Very interesting." said the Governor. "Before we press on, I need to send a quick message to my subordinate about a certain matter. Is there a place I may speak in private?"

"Sure, come with me." said Janeway. Then she led the Governor to a room where he could contact his people in privacy.

A few light years away, the _Delta Flyer _emerged from a binary pulsar cluster. Its three crewmembers- Tom Paris, B'Elanna Torres, and Harry Kim- were operating the shuttle and keeping it sailing smoothly. Tom was piloting the small ship gracefully, B'Elanna was running a diagnostic on the impulse engines, and Harry took a moment to record a personal log.

He documented "_Ensign Kim Personal Log, Stardate 54023.4: This time I've spent with Lieutenants Paris and Torres has been most… uneventful. We did nothing but monitor various anomalies for the past week, and I've mostly just been useful with keeping the _Flyer_ organized and documenting some microbes we've discovered. But with Tom and B'Elanna around, time is never boring. I guess I should be thankful that the Captain didn't decide to send Tuvok and Seven of Nine with me instead. I probably would've died of boredom if she had._"

Harry had been recording his log in the back of the ship. Once he was finished, he stored it in the ship's databanks and returned to the front of the ship. Tom, without looking over his shoulder, said to his best friend "Another 'Dear Journal' moment, Harry?"

"How can you tell, Tom?" said Harry.

"That's your eleventh one this week." B'Elanna noted.

Harry shrugged and said "We've made a lot of progress. I need to keep my journal up to date."

"There's even a limit to notifying your journal, Harry." Tom quipped as he turned his chair to face the rest of the cockpit of the _Delta Flyer_. "It will get bored from hearing you drone on about your day after a while."

B'Elanna chuckled at Tom's last comment.

"At least I have a variety of things to talk about in my log entries, Tom." Harry retorted. "What's your idea of a typical log entry? 'Personal log: B'Elanna and I have almost done it again?' I imagine that's one you would put over and over in your shockingly empty log entry database."

"Okay, Harry, that's hitting it a little over the edge." said B'Elanna.

"I know, but I'm kidding." Harry reassured her. "I'm sorry about that last one."

"Oh, it's quite alright, buddy." said Tom. "It's better to respond to one snappy comment with another snappy comment than to be submissive and not respond at all."

"I'm sure all three of us could agree on that." said B'Elanna.

"She would know." said Tom. "She's had a lot of experience."

B'Elanna gave Tom a menacing glare. He just grinned and said "But I love her anyway."

B'Elanna dropped her glare and smiled back. Harry sat down at the chair to the right behind the pilot's seat. Working at that station, he said "It just seems so unusual that the Captain would send the three of us out to study this system while the rest of the crew is on shore leave."

"Perhaps she wanted her 'three favorite' officers testing out the _Delta Flyer II_." Tom theorized.

B'Elanna shrugged and suggested "Or maybe it's to test our resolve to stick to our duty."

Tom nodded and said "Yeah, Harry. Maybe this is a test, and if you pass it, you may end up getting a promotion."

Harry grinned and said "That would be a positive thought."

Suddenly, an alarm went off from the pilot's panel. Tom revolved his chair back around and found the source of the alarm. He announced "There's an unidentified mass approaching us."

Harry examined the sensors and told the other two "Long rang sensors indicate it could be a vessel of some type."

B'Elanna inspected the star charts and said "You're right, Harry. It is a ship. And a big one at that. It appears to be on a direct intercept course."

"Have they activated weapons?" asked Tom.

"Negative." said Harry.

"Well, let's not take any chances." Tom said. "I'm finding us a route that avoids a confrontation with whoever these people are. The Captain said no first contacts without her unless absolutely necessary."

The _Delta Flyer _swerved around and went from impulse to warp 5. But the alien ship followed them at warp 6.

"They're following us!" shouted Harry.

"I'm going to need more power from the warp drive if we're going to elude them!" Tom said to B'Elanna, almost putting her under uneasy pressure.

"You should have warp 8 right now!" she told him.

Tom implemented warp 8. But just a few moments later, Harry announced "They've gone to warp 9!"

Tom swore under his breath and said "We've got to get them off our tail!"

"Maybe we should try talking to them." suggested Harry. "Let them know we're not hostile."

"Good idea." said Tom. "Open a channel."

Harry got to work. After a few seconds, he declared "Channel open!"

"This is the Shuttle _Delta Flyer _of the Federation Starship _Voyager_." Tom said over the hailing frequency. "We are on a peaceful mission of exploration. Please, break off your pursuit course."

Suddenly, the other ship emitted a type of electrical shockwave from one of its weapons turrets directly at the _Flyer_. It erupted just behind the _Flyer_, and suddenly a few of the most critical systems on the ship started functioning incorrectly.

"I guess they don't believe us." Tom muttered under his breath.

"That or they're just not in the mood to talk." Harry theorized.

"That weapon just destabilized the warp field!" B'Elanna announced.

"We're losing speed fast!" Harry reported.

"Navigations are fluctuating!" said Tom. "I'm attempting to compensate for the irregularities!"

Soon, the other ship was within ten miles of the _Flyer_. The former locked onto the latter with a tractor beam and started towing it in.

"I can't break us free." Tom proclaimed. "We have to disrupt that tractor beam!"

"Our weapons are down!" B'Elanna enlightened him.

"I'll try programming the deflector dish to emit an EM pulse!" said Harry. He and B'Elanna went to work on that, but the pulse had no effect on the other ship or the tractor beam.

Very soon, a second tractor beam locked onto the _Flyer _from within a shuttlebay in the ship. The ship was pulling the _Flyer _inside.

"Our only hope is to send out a distress signal to the _Voyager_ now." said Tom.

"I think I can send an encrypted message through the deflector array." said Harry. "I'll set it up as quickly as possible."

Harry quickly went to work setting up a distress signal. When he was finished, he programmed the deflector to send it out and initiated the emission sequence.

A few mere seconds after Harry had set out the distress call, the _Delta Flyer _was pulled fully into the shuttlebay. The hanger doors closed and the entire room went dark.

"Please tell me you were able to send out the distress signal in time, Harry." Tom pleaded.

Harry, looking worried, just said "I sure hope I was."


	2. Boarded

Back on Jiopia, Captain Janeway had finished giving Governor Tiliod his tour and he had returned to the surface of the planet. Kathryn herself had decided to spend a little time on the planet's surface as well. She was walking through a street in the planet's capital when she ran into Commander Chakotay.

"Headed anywhere, Captain?" he asked her.

"Not specifically, no." she replied. "What about you, Commander?"

"Ryson, Ayala, Thompson, and I are off to a very interesting presentation." he told her.

"What sort of presentation?" she asked.

"It's a type of group duel." he explained. "Two groups of people who fight each other in a vigorous duel."

She looked at Chakotay, surprised by his interest in the subject.

"Seems rather barbaric, Chakotay." she told him.

"It's actually quite popular, Captain." he told her. "According to some statistics I've seen, it is the most popular recreational activity on this planet; being five times more popular than the next most popular pastime."

"Still, it sounds somewhat savage." she told him.

"The competitors are given the full ability to decide whether or not they would like to participate." he told her. "And it is not that violent. The victors achieve a free shipment of resources for their peoples, and the losers are given an equally large load at a quarter the usual price."

Janeway shrugged and said "As long as it's not too bloody, I suppose I'll give it a chance."

The two of them walked to a large stadium. There were almost a million seats, and all of them watched a colossal three-dimensional cube that had a screen on four of its sides.

Janeway and Chakotay found Ayala, Thompson, and Ryson and sat with them. They watched the side of the cube closest to them. Two groups of aliens were fighting with each other in what appeared to be a large abandoned fortress.

As they watched, Chakotay explained to her "Every day, they usually have two new races. They only occasionally reuse the species of the losers, but they frequently reuse the species of the winners. Today it's the Wrilohans versus the Fikalo."

"Why pick an abandoned fortress for a fighting scenario?" asked Janeway.

"The scenario changes every day as well." Chakotay told her. "It can be anything from a swamp to a space station. Usually it's someplace without a lot of advanced technology."

As they watched the fighting take place, Janeway noticed that there was some serious tension in the eyes of both of the competing species.

"They do seem to be taking this combat very seriously." Janeway noted.

"Some of the species have had issues with their competitors in the past." Chakotay explained. "Based on what I've heard, they like to vent their frustration out on their adversaries. But the fight promoters tell us that they don't let their past grudges go to their heads."

Kathryn watched closely as one Fikalo stabbed a Wrilohan full in the chest with his sword on the screen. She covered her mouth with her hands and said "Oh my God! He just killed that man!"

"Actually, he didn't really." said Chakotay. "Some reports about this game indicate that they have a lot of safety protocols on in the arena. You can do something capable of killing a person in real life, but in there, when people are 'killed,' the rules require them to be 'dead' until the match is over."

"They must have medicinal technology superior to ours in order to keep people alive without treatment after being butchered." Janeway theorized. "The Doctor would certainly be interested in that."

Chakotay nodded and not another word was said between them. They just matched the rest of the match. In the end, the Wrilohans were victorious over the Fikalo.

"I'm really looking forward to the next show." said Chakotay. "I don't know much about it, but there are going to be two mystery competitors. Mystery duels are always very riveting based on popular vote."

A few light-years away, the _Delta Flyer _sat in the hanger bay of the alien vessel. Tom, B'Elanna, and Harry were waiting in the cockpit. It had been over an hour since the _Flyer _had been brought onboard, but no one else had come aboard the small ship.

The three crewmen inside the small ship were holding phaser rifles close to themselves. They also had a phaser pistol attached to their belts as a backup weapon.

B'Elanna was the first one to get impatient. She just groaned edgily and said "What the hell are they waiting for? It's been over an hour since they brought us onboard."

"Maybe they're taking the time to study the _Flyer _bit by bit." Harry speculated.

"That could certainly be the reason." Tom agreed. "But I'm starting to get bored in here. Maybe one of us should go out there and investigate."

"I nominate Harry." said B'Elanna.

"Me too." said Tom.

Harry sighed and muttered "Why is it I'm always the one that has to risk his life?"

"Because you're an Ensign, Harry." Tom answered. "One of the advantages to being a Lieutenant is that you rarely ever have to do the suicidal tasks."

"That may be," Harry agreed, "but at least when you're an Ensign, you don't have to do as much work as the higher ranking officers."

"He does have a point there." said B'Elanna. "The engineering staff couldn't last a week without me. Makes me wonder why the Captain wanted me to go on this mission in the first place."

"Umm…" Tom began, "I frankly have no idea why she did, but we don't have time to focus on that right now. Perhaps we should all go out there together."

"Alright." Harry and B'Elanna agreed. Tom told them "Make sure your weapons are set on 'heavy stun.'"

The three officers slowly crept into the back of the _Delta Flyer_. Then they walked quietly over to the door. Harry stood at the door with his phaser rifle in his right hand and put his left hand over the controls. Then he turned to Tom and B'Elanna. They each had both their hands on their rifles. Their right hands were on the handles while their left hands were on the forestocks. They were pointing their weapons directly at the door. Harry waited for the signal. He got the signal when Tom nodded his head once in Harry's general direction.

Harry pressed a few buttons on the panel and the door opened up. Then he firmly grasped his rifle with both his hands like Tom and B'Elanna. Harry stood against the wall while Tom and B'Elanna got down on one knee and aimed their rifles at the now opened door. They expected someone to come through, but there was no one there.

"I guess I'll go out first." said Harry. He slowly moved around the wall and stepped out the _Flyer_'s entrance. He looked around in all directions and walked out into the open. He called back to them "It's so dark out here."

"Activate phaser flashlights." said Tom as he and B'Elanna followed Harry out. The three young officers activated the headlights on their rifles and pointed them in all directions. They found nothing but stacks of crates all over to the room.

"I don't see anybody." B'Elanna whispered.

"Nor do I." said Tom. "It's almost as if they just brought us aboard and left us in their hanger bay."

All of a sudden, there came a loud banging sound across the room. Harry, B'Elanna, and Tom spun around and pointed their rifles at the direction of the noise. The noise stopped almost as quickly as it began.

"I'm going to see what that was." said Tom. He slowly walked through the room and headed for the source of the noise. He was becoming a little nervous as he thought about what he might encounter. He didn't even notice two figures crawling up a short pile of three crates just behind him to the left. However, at the last moment, B'Elanna shined her headlight down there and caught a glimpse of the figures. She aimed her rifle and fired at one of them. She hit him in the neck, causing him to fall off the crates and land flat on the ground. She then shouted "Tom, get down!"

Tom quickly dropped to the ground as the other figure lunged at him. The figure went flying by and landed on the ground in front of him. Tom got up and pointed his rifle at the figure. "Don't move!" he shouted.

The mysterious figure, ignoring his warning, charged right at Tom, but Tom shot him directly in the chest cavity. The figure groaned and dropped to the ground.

Harry and B'Elanna walked slowly up behind the figure. Tom still had his rifle targeted on the figure he had just disabled.

B'Elanna kneeled next to the second figure and turned him over. The person had a large amount of messy hair on his head. He looked a lot like a Human, but there were two large wing-like protuberances attached to his cheeks, his nose was more prominent, and there was one large ridge across his forehead that ran from the bottom of one ear to the bottom of the other. B'Elanna recoiled in alarm at the unsightliness of the unconscious figure.

"Do you recognize their species?" Harry asked his friends. "I certainly don't."

"No, I don't believe we've encountered this type before." said B'Elanna.

"Nor do I." said Tom. Without warning, many more figures were crawling over the piles of boxes and charging at the three _Voyager_ crewmen. Most of them were unarmed, but a few were in possession of disruptors.

"Get back to the _Delta Flyer_!" yelled Tom. He fired at two figures that were coming up behind them. One of them was hit and dropped to the ground. Another figure in front of Tom ran into him and forced him onto the ground.

"Tom!" shouted B'Elanna. Tom was on the ground, wrestling with the alien for his weapon. B'Elanna ran up behind the alien, raised her rifle in the air, and struck him on the back of the head with it.

The figure collapsed next to Tom, who picked up his rifle and got back on his feet.

"I could use some help here!" said Harry, who was barely having enough time to aim as he fired at several aliens that were approaching him fast.

Tom and B'Elanna came to Harry's aid. The three of them were standing back to back to back, firing at the aliens as they approached. But soon, the aliens were among them. One of them grabbed the front of Harry's rifle and tried to seize it from him. Harry punched the alien full in the face and drew his phaser pistol. He shot the man in the head.

B'Elanna was forced to resort to beating the aliens with her rifle. Tom was only able to get in a few shots before the aliens were too close for the rifle to be of use any further.

Pretty soon, the aliens had disarmed Harry and seized him. "Tom, B'Elanna! Help me!" he called out to them.

"Harry!" shouted Tom. He tried to fight his way to his best friend, but pretty soon, he was overpowered just the same way.

B'Elanna was left alone to fight. She put up such a fight that it took the amount of people required to restrain both Tom and Harry to restrain her.

The three of them had their arms forced behind their backs and electronic restraints were used to hold their wrists together. Once their restraints were secured, the three of them were stood up straight and put side by side by side.

While some of the aliens attended to their wounded crewmen, the rest focused their attention on their prisoners. In addition to their restraints, Tom, B'Elanna, and Harry were being held back by two men each- one holding on firmly to either of their arms.

One alien man stood in front of them in silence for a moment. Then he said to his men "Come with me. We'll take them to the First Commander."

Then Harry, B'Elanna, and Tom were brusquely escorted out of the room by the people restraining them.


	3. New Impressions

The strange aliens escorted Tom, B'Elanna, and Harry to the bridge of their ship. The leader of their group- obviously the one called "First Commander"- came crossed over the bridge to where the three Starfleet officers were being forced to stand.

Tom stood in the center of the three. Harry stood to his right and B'Elanna to his left. The First Commander looked from Harry, to Tom, to B'Elanna, and then back to Tom, and back to Harry. Finally, he called "Grolt!"

The man who had ordered for Harry, B'Elanna, and Tom to be brought to the bridge came to his leader's side. "Yes, sir?"

"Why are these people being restrained?" the First Commander inquired. "I told you to bring them up as you would bring up guests, not prisoners!"

"I'm sorry, sir." said Grolt, recoiling. "A skirmish emerged in the shuttlebay. We were forced to use restraints on them."

The First Commander slapped Grolt sharply across the face. Grolt dropped to the ground and held his face behind his hands. The First Commander towered over his subordinate and yelled "You incompetent idiot! They must think we are savages now because of your actions!"

Tom then stated out "It's not his fault."

The First Commander turned to the Starfleet officers. He stepped forward and asked "What do you mean?"

"We… started the fight." Tom explained. "I apologize for our actions, but we don't take kindly to being boarded against our will."

"That is understandable." said the First Commander. "Now if I may ask, who are you?"

"I am Lieutenant Tom Paris of the Federation Starship _Voyager_." Tom introduced himself. Gesturing to his left, and then his right, he introduced his two friends "This is Lieutenant B'Elanna Torres and Ensign Harry Kim."

"I am First Commander Ekelith of the Beitruu Deep Space Vessel _Nocalna_." the First Commander introduced himself. Gesturing to the man he had slapped, who had gotten back on his feet, he said "This is my next-in-command, Second Commander Grolt."

"Pleasure." said Harry, giving a nod in Grolt's general direction.

Ekelith looked at the men holding Tom, B'Elanna, and Harry back and sternly ordered them "Release them."

The men let go of the three Starfleet officers' arms. Then Tom, Harry, and B'Elanna each heard an electronic *click* behind their backs. That indicated that the restraints had been deactivated. They were removed from their wrists and they were given control of their arms once again.

"Join me in my office?" Ekelith offered them. They respectfully accepted his offer. They walked into the next room and he sat down at his desk. There were three chairs in front of the desk, all of which were occupied by Tom, B'Elanna, and Harry.

Ekelith offered them something to drink, but they declined. He helped himself to a viscous dark green liquid known as _violga_. While it may have looked revolting and unappetizing to Tom, B'Elanna, and Harry, Ekelith told them that _violga_ was one of the most habitually consumed drinks amongst his species.

After getting settled in, Ekelith said to them "I'm curious; which species are you?"

"Tom and I are both Human." Harry answered. "B'Elanna here is half-Human, half-Klingon."

"I would like to know more about your race." Ekelith requested. "I have never seen or heard of either of your races before."

"That's probably because our homeworld is 30,000 light years away in the Alpha Quadrant." Tom enlightened him. "It would take over thirty years to get there."

"Then what are you doing out here in the Delta Quadrant so far from your home?" asked Ekelith.

"We're trying to **get **home, actually." B'Elanna explained. "Almost six years ago, we were stranded here against our will by a very powerful being. That was actually seventy-thousand light years away. But now we are more than halfway home due to some scientific accomplishments."

"Fascinating." said the First Commander. "How many others are there on your ship?"

"About 150." Tom responded. "They are currently with the _Voyager _in orbit around the planet Jiopia on shore leave. Most of them are also Humans. But we have a few members of other species indigenous to the Alpha Quadrant in our company too."

"What is the central purpose of your vessel's missions?" queried the First Commander.

"We are explorers." said Harry. "We seek out and make peaceful contact with new species. We also search for any strange or interesting phenomena, such as a regional space anomaly."

"And what do you do once you have located these 'anomalies' and other 'strange or interesting phenomena?'" asked the Ekelith.

"We study them." Tom replied simply. "We put a lot of time into studying natural space phenomena. In fact, the three of us just finished conducting a survey on a binary pulsar cluster. We were returning back to our ship when you intercepted."

"Oh, I wish to convey my apologies for causing you alarm." Ekelith said sincerely. "I hope you will accept my request for forgiveness."

"Of course." said Tom. "We just weren't content with being taken aboard an unfamiliar alien ship against our will."

"I wasn't expecting you to be." said Ekelith. "But what we did was necessary."

"Necessary?" said Harry. "I was unaware that abduction in this manner is every necessary."

"You were about to enter a region of space occupied by a particularly brutal race known as the Riscadi." Ekelith explained. "We couldn't have contacted you; if we did, we would have risked having our signal picked up from one of their relay stations."

"We entered that same region a week ago when first started our survey of that binary pulsar cluster." B'Elanna informed the alien leader. "There were no stations or ships besides ours in the vicinity."

"That area is right on the edge of their territory." the First Commander explained. "The Riscadi vessels' patrolling intervals of that region are erratic and even somewhat unpredictable. And their stations are long-distance monitors of subspace traffic."

"Oh, I see." said B'Elanna. "But why did you fire an energy-draining weapon at us?"

"It was the only way to prevent you from entering Riscadi territory." Ekelith answered her. "We only use it as a last resort on people who will not allow us to board them until they almost reach an unsafe destination."

Tom stood up and said "We thank you for being concerned for our safety and our well-being, but we must be leaving now."

"Tom?" said Harry.

"Harry, the Captain said no first contacts without her, remember?" Tom helped his friend recall the Captain's orders. "We have to get back to Jiopia as soon as possible anyway."

"'First contact?'" said Ekelith, confused by the term.

"That's what we call the event when we meet with new species face-to-face for the first time." Tom explained. "It is one of the most important tasks done by Starfleet officers."

"I see." said Ekelith. "I take it this 'Starfleet' is your central exploration corporation?"

"You are correct, sir." Harry confirmed. "Millions of people seek out new things in Starfleet.

"You are not the prisoners of the Beitruu Autonomy." Ekelith told the three officers. "You are under our protection, and you are our guests."

"We can take care of ourselves." said Tom.

"Many people have said that before they encountered the Riscadi." Ekelith told them. "Very few lived shortly after crossing through their territory."

"So what are you suggested we do?" asked B'Elanna.

"My vessel can return you to your ship." Ekelith proposed. "Our current flight plan requires us to move through the edge of the Riscadi territory. Our current path also goes right by Jiopia."

"We appreciate that, but I'm afraid we cannot stay here." said Tom. "We have to return to our people on our own."

"Lieutenant Paris," said the First Commander, "do you know what will happen if the Riscadi find your ship in their territory?"

"What will happen?" asked Tom, curious about the answer.

Ekelith answered "They will pursue you, they will attack you, they will board you, they will torture you, and finally, they will kill you."

Tom was rather unsettled by the First Commander's analysis of the Riscadi reactions to violation of their territory. In the end, he decided that they would stay on board.

"You are very wise, Lieutenant." said Ekelith. "I can assign you three living quarters for the next few days while we proceed to Jiopia."

"That is very congenial of you." Tom thanked the Beitruu Captain. "But I have a request first."

"Name it."

"Could we contact our ship and let our people know that we will be arriving on your ship?"

"I'm afraid I cannot allow that." Ekelith answered back. "The Riscadi would intercept the transmission and be able to track it to its source."

"I could send an encrypted message using our vessel's deflector array." Harry suggested.

"I'm sorry." Ekelith apologized. "But the risk is too great. However, I can promise you that your people will see you soon enough."

"Thank you, First Commander." said Tom.

Ekelith pressed a button on his desk and said into a small microphone "Send in Quartermaster Wilvob." Another man came into his office about a minute later and said "What may I do for you, sir?"

"Please assign living quarters to these three guests of ours for the next few days." the First Commander ordered the quartermaster.

The quartermaster nodded and said "Follow me, please." to Harry, B'Elanna, and Tom. The three of them stood up and followed him out the door. He led them down three decks to the living quarters. Then he showed them to three vacant rooms and had them officially designated as theirs for however long they would be there.

After the three officers got some supplies and equipment from the _Delta Flyer_, they got settled in. They decided to have dinner together in Tom's quarters. They had replicated their dinner on the _Delta Flyer _and brought it back to Tom's room. They talked with each other while they ate.

"What do you think the Captain will think of this?" Harry asked their opinion.

"She'll probably give me a two-hour lecture on avoiding first contact when told to." Tom theorized.

"Seeing as how you physically tried avoiding it," said B'Elanna, "I don't think she'll do that. Besides, these people seem rather benevolent."

"I didn't think I would hear you giving that sort of inference about them any time soon." said Tom. "I mean, even though the Beitruu may not seem as hostile as we thought they were at first, that doesn't suggest they are a peaceful people."

"Tom's right." Harry agreed. "We should not make any hasty judgments about these people, whether they are good or bad."

"Then what should we do?" inquired B'Elanna.

"We'll learn what we can about their culture." Tom explained his plan. "We'll decide where to go from there. If these people really are benign, we will stay onboard and make friends with them. But if there is anything we find that suggests they are dishonest and belligerent, we'll get back to the _Delta Flyer _and send a distress call to _Voyager_. Riscadi or no Riscadi, I'd rather risk a confrontation between ships than be trapped on another ship that belongs to an aggressive people."

Harry and B'Elanna agreed with Tom's plan.


	4. Hasty Departures

Back on the _Voyager_, Captain Janeway was in her chair on the bridge. Commander Chakotay was sitting next to her in his chair and taking some time to study a few reports from engineering. Lieutenant Carey had managed to keep the engine room in good hands during B'Elanna's absence, but the engineering staff was actually beginning to miss having someone yell at them and push them to work more efficiently.

Tuvok was also at his post. There had been virtually no breaches in security ever since the _Voyager _had arrived at Jiopia. He had found the performance of the security force to be merely sufficient. But for Tuvok, "sufficient" was a rather glamorous characterization.

As Tuvok studied the latest tactical report, a weak communications signal started beeping on the main panel in front of him. He glanced at it for a few moments, and then he announced "Captain, we're receiving a message. It is very faint."

"Point of origin?" inquired Janeway.

"Unknown." Tuvok answered. "But based on its rate of dissipation, it could not have been transmitted further than ten hours away at Warp 9."

Janeway developed an astute theory in her mind. She told the others on the bridge "Tom, B'Elanna, and Harry are conducting their survey of that binary pulsar cluster within ten hours' worth of travel at Warp 9. Perhaps they sent the message."

"What is the nature of the communiqué, Tuvok?" asked Chakotay.

After studying the message, Tuvok declared "I believe it is a distress signal."

Janeway immediately stood up and turned toward her Security Chief.

"Are you certain about that, Tuvok?"

"No, Captain." Tuvok answered her. "I merely said I **believe** it is a distress signal. There is no confirmation for that claim yet."

Janeway slowly sat back down in her chair and ordered the Vulcan "Keep me notified on your progress in deciphering the message. If as much as a piece of it suggests it was a distress call sent from the _Delta Flyer_, we will investigate the area the communiqué originated from ourselves."

Back on the _Nocalna_, Tom, B'Elanna, and Harry had decided to get some rest. All three of them were able to sleep with ease that night.

Harry and B'Elanna had fallen asleep rather quickly, but Tom was lying awake in bed and taking a moment to think about what had just happened.

For the past week, he had been nowhere outside of the _Delta Flyer _and he had not seen anyone other than Harry or B'Elanna. He began to wonder how Captain Janeway would take the news of him making first contact. She had put him in charge of the mission, and expected him to avoid unnecessary first contacts. However, he did believe B'Elanna and Harry when they told him that the Captain would understand. Captain Janeway was usually one of the most understanding people Tom had ever meant. But then the word "usually" started to haunt him. In the end, he decided that he was overreacting and drifted off to sleep.

He didn't sleep that long, though. Just a few hours later, somebody was violently shaking him. When he was finally awake, the person stopped. B'Elanna and Harry were standing over him. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, and then asked "What's going on?"

"Get dressed, quickly." said B'Elanna. "The ship is under attack."

"What?" said Tom, jumping to his feet.

"First Commander Ekelith just issued red alert." Harry informed him. "Apparently three Riscadi ships came out of nowhere and started firing on the ship."

The ship then gave a violent lurch, almost throwing Tom, B'Elanna, and Harry off their feet. But they were able to remain balanced and stand upright.

"Then what the hell are we waiting for?" said Tom. Harry and B'Elanna left the room so that Tom could change his clothes in private. Once he was back in uniform like them, he said "We should probably get to the bridge. We may be of some assistance to these people."

B'Elanna and Harry agreed. They made their way to the bridge of the _Nocalna_. The room was a wreck. Conduits had blown out, panels had overloaded, and there were at least two fires sparking up.

Sixteen of the twenty-eight members of the bridge crew were dead. The remaining twelve were struggling to get the place in order. The viewscreen was showing what was directly in front of the ship. The three Riscadi ships were coming closer and closer to the _Nocalna_. Soon, the Riscadi had linked up and were boarding the ship.

Harry, B'Elanna, and Tom found Second Commander Grolt under a pile of rubble. They managed to pull him out from under it and get him to his feet.

"Where's Ekelith?" asked Harry.

"Dead." said Grolt. "The ship is my responsibility now. I'm going to try to organize the rest of the crew and fend off the Riscadi. In the meantime, the three of you should return to your shuttle and leave this region of space as soon as possible."

"Is there anything we can do?" Tom asked, concerned for the Beitruu and their ship.

"I'm afraid not." Grolt answered. "The nearest backup is four hours' worth of flight away. By the time they got here, this ship will be nothing but debris."

"But surely there must be something we can do for you." said B'Elanna.

"In that case, please contact our government as soon as you're a light-year out of this vicinity." said Grolt. "Let them know that the Riscadi are coming."

"'Coming?'" said Tom.

"Those three ships out there are only scouting ships." Grolt clarified. "We just discovered that they're launching a full-scale invasion on Beitruu territory. You need to let our government know so that they may prepare themselves."

"Alright." said B'Elanna. "We'll do it."

Harry nodded at B'Elanna, but Tom was not so sure about this request. Harry and B'Elanna did notice the skepticism in his face, but decided not to delve into the matter at that time.

Grolt picked up a datapad from and counter and handed it over to Tom. He told him "That's the frequency our government uses. You can use it to contact our main ruling body, the Beitruu High-Standing Committee."

Tom just looked at it, and then nodded hesitantly at the Second Commander. Grolt called over four of the security officers stationed on the bridge. He ordered them to accompany Tom, Harry, and B'Elanna to the hanger bay and to see to their departure. The men complied, armed themselves and led the three Starfleet crewmen out of the bridge.

They traveled a few decks downward. As they got closer and closer to the hanger bay, they could hear the sounds of phaser-fire and shouting.

One of the men escorting Tom, Harry, and B'Elanna signaled the rest of the group to stop and slowly he moved forward ahead of the rest of the group. He stood up against a wall and carefully peaked around the corner. Just one instant later, someone down the adjoining corridor shot him in the face. The man shouted in pain, grabbed the place on his head that had been hit, and dropped to the ground.

Another of the escorts went over to the one that had been shot and kneeled next to him. After failing to find his pulse, he turned to his colleagues and told them "Get the Federation crewmen to the hanger via the long way. I'll hold off the boarding party."

His fellow security officers nodded and turned to B'Elanna, Tom, and Harry. One of them said "This way" and led them down another corridor. Before long, they could hear more phaser-fire back from that last corridor. It was immediately followed by the shouts of the Beitruu guard that had remained behind.

After another minute of travelling through the corridors, one of the remaining two escorts proclaimed "We're almost there. Just two more corridors and we'll arrive at the hanger bay."

"That's good to know." said B'Elanna.

They passed through the next corridor without encountering the Riscadi. But upon arriving in the corridor with the hanger bay, there was a group of Riscadi firing at them from the other end of the corridor.

One of the Beitruu escorts was hit full in the chest and killed instantly. The last one ducked in cover with Tom, B'Elanna, and Harry. The escort pulled a small device out of his pocket and said "This should slow them down."

He threw the device down the corridor. After it set in place, it started emitting a type of thick opaque smoke. Soon it covered most of the area in-between the Riscadi and the entrance to the hanger bay. The Beitruu escort got out from his cover and fired a few times down the corridor. The Riscadi soldiers could be heard groaning and collapsing on the other side of smoke.

The escort turned to his three companions and told them "Let's go!"

They got up and followed him to the hanger door. The escort approached the door's panel, which was dangerously close to the smoke, and entered in the code for the door to be opened. The terminal then gave a "beep," indicating that the code had been accepted.

Suddenly, one of the Riscadi jumped out of the smoke cloud and lunged for the escort. They collided with each other just outside the hanger bay. Pretty soon, they were fighting in hand-to-hand combat. It was then that Harry, B'Elanna, and Tom saw what a Riscadi looked like up close for the first time.

The Riscadi had dreadful appearances. Their skin and heads were brown and full of compressed wrinkles. They were bald and their teeth were as large and sharp as a vampire's. They were slightly shorter than the average Human, but their alarming countenances made up for their height.

As the struggle continued, the Beitruu soldier looked over his shoulder and called back "You must go! Now!"

Tom, Harry, and B'Elanna approached the hanger bay door. It opened and they were about to step in, but first they looked back at the two fighting men. After a few seconds, the Riscadi warrior gripped the Beitruu security guard by the throat. Then with one swift move, he opened his mouth, brought his head forward, and bit the guard right on the neck. The guard shrieked in agony as the Riscadi warrior sank his teeth deeper into his neck. Finally, the Riscadi bore his mouth out of the Beitruu's neck, tearing out some chunks of it in the process. Five seconds later, the guard died of suffocation.

The Riscadi looked up at the three shocked Starfleet officers. He gave them a grin that was both wicked and vicious, revealing his blood-stained teeth. It was truly a terrifying sight.

Tom, B'Elanna, and Harry rushed into the hanger bay. The door closed behind them and automatically locked itself. The three Starfleet officers got into the _Delta Flyer_, sealed the door, and got into the cockpit. There they took their stations and started up the engines.

Once the engines were up and running, the _Delta Flyer _rose off the ground and started moving forward. It passed through the forcefield on the far wall. Once it was clear of the hanger bay, it moved away from the _Nocalna _and flew away at Warp 8.

As Tom flew the ship away, Harry said "I'm preparing to send a message to _Voyager_. They need to know about this."

"But Ekelith said that the Riscadi would be able to track it." B'Elanna reminded him.

"It's a bit late to be worrying about that." said Tom.

"In that case, we should also warn the Beitruu High-Standing Committee." B'Elanna suggested.

"She's right." said Harry. "Tom, do you still have that frequency Grolt gave you."

"Yes, I do." said the pilot from the front of the shuttle. "But I'm not so sure that I want to use it."

Harry and B'Elanna were surprised to hear him say that. Harry said "Tom, you just said that we don't have to worry about being discovered any more, seeing as how we already-"

"That's not what I'm talking about, Harry." Tom interrupted. "I meant that we shouldn't do it because that would be interference."

"Interference?" said B'Elanna.

Tom explained: "By contacting the Committee, we will be letting the Beitruu know in advance about the Riscadi incursion. Granted that we would be giving the Beitruu time to prepare and to defend themselves, it would still be a breach of the Prime Directive."

"Tom, you saw what that Riscadi did to that Beitruu outside the hanger." said B'Elanna. "He butchered him! For all we know,

"The Prime Directive is explicit, B'Elanna." said Tom. "NO exceptions. Not unless the survival of the Federation is at stake. As far as I know, the Riscadi won't be attacking the Federation any time soon."

"Tom, don't the Beitruu at least have the right to defend themselves?" said B'Elanna.

"Of course they do." said Tom. "But they'll get that chance without our interference."

"Tom, a transmission from this ship could be the difference between their survival and their destruction!" said Harry.

"Guys, we're in enough trouble already!" said Tom. "We've already made first contact without the Captain's consent. If we go back and tell her we've also broken the Prime Directive, she'll be outraged!"

Before they had time to debate the matter any further, an alarm sounded inside the _Flyer_.

"What now?" B'Elanna asked exasperatedly.

Harry turned to his station and declared "One of the Riscadi vessels has broken off from the _Nocalna_. It's coming right for us!"

"Damnit." Tom turned back to his station and took the controls. As he piloted the ship, he called back to B'Elanna "Can we go any faster than warp 8?"

"I'm afraid not." she replied. "Our engines are still recovering from that blast of energy that the Beitruu used to disable us."

"Harry, bring weapons up!" Tom ordered.

Harry went to work. Soon, he said "Phaser banks are charged; photon torpedoes are armed!"

"I'm going to swing us around." said Tom. "Target their engines and fire on my mark."

"I'm ready!" said Harry.

Tom gripped the controls and brought them upward. The _Delta Flyer _swung around and got behind the Riscadi ship.

"Fire!" said Tom.

Harry fired the phasers four times and launched two photon torpedoes at the Riscadi vessel. After this happened, Harry proudly announced the Riscadi ship as disabled. But just as quickly, his smile changed to a look of uneasiness.

"Oh, no." Harry thought aloud.

"What is it?" asked B'Elanna.

"They're somehow tapping into our mainframe and accessing our environmental controls." Harry announced. "They're reprogramming it to give off a type of compound into the air!"

"Is the compound fatal?" asked Tom.

"No, it's only strong enough to render us unconscious." said Harry. "But I can already… fe-feel… it… start-"

Tom turned around and saw his best friend leaning over the panels. He was struggling to sit up straight.

"Harry, are you all right?" said Tom.

Soon Harry fell out of his chair and landed on the floor unconscious. B'Elanna got out of her chair and went to his aid.

"Is he okay?" asked Tom.

"He's fine." said B'Elanna. Suddenly, she was starting to feel drowsy. She made her way back to her station and said to Tom "I can't stay fo-focused… Tom, you ha-have… to get… us out of-"

B'Elanna fell to the ground near Harry.

Tom was now the only one of the three that was still awake. He turned back to the panel and began entering a course away from that region of space, but already he could feel the compound's effects starting to work on him.

"Come on, Mr. Paris, stay awake." he muttered to himself. He put up a resilient struggle against the compound, but just before he engaged the auto-pilot sequence, he lost consciousness and fell to the floor.

Now Tom, B'Elanna, and Harry were all lying on the ground in a comatose state.

...

Several hours later, they were rescued by Voyager. They continued their voyage home to the Alpha Quadrant.


End file.
